24 June 2008

National Barbecue Expert Gives Staybridge Suites® Guests Something to Grill About

Free rooms and cooking tips are just some of the perks guests will receive when they stay with Staybridge Suites now through Sept. 3, 2008, during the upscale extended-stay hotel brand's summer promotion, the "Ultimate Backyard Barbecue with Jamie Purviance". Whether looking to stretch their travel budget or looking for alternatives to eating out while away from home, all consumers who register for the promotion will receive easy-to-prepare recipes from National Barbecue Expert Jamie Purviance, that are otherwise only available from his book Weber's Real Grilling.

"Our guests stay with us on average eight nights at a time and while we offer a complimentary Sundowner reception three days a week, Wednesday serving as ‘barbecue night', through this promotion we're providing consumers with recipes they can cook at our hotels using the outdoor grills on other nights," said Robert Radomski, vice president, Brand Management, Extended-Stay Brands, IHG. "It's another reminder that while they're traveling they can still experience the good times they have when back home."

Recipes and cooking tips will be delivered to consumers directly via email throughout the summer when they register at www.staybridge.com/BBQOFFER. For guests who register and stay at any one of the more than 130 Staybridge Suites hotels across the U.S. and Canada now through Sept. 3, 2008 they'll get a chance to win Weber® gas grills, $50 Visa® cards and free nights at Staybridge Suites hotels when they stay and pay with their Visa card. They'll also be entered for a chance to win the "Ultimate Backyard Barbecue with Jamie Purviance" where one guest will be awarded an all-expense paid backyard barbecue this summer. The winner will get their own Weber gas grill and can invite up to 15 guests to the barbecue with Purviance. Each night stayed is an additional entry to win prizes.

Registrants must be members of IHG's guest loyalty program, Priority Club Rewards. Enrollment in Priority Club Rewards is free, and guests can sign up at http://www.priorityclub.com/  or by calling 1-888-211-9874.

About Staybridge Suites

Staybridge Suites® is an innovative all-suite hotel brand designed to meet the needs of extended-stay guests.  With more than 130 hotels open in the Americas, it is ideal for travelers seeking a residential-style hotel that is perfect for business, relocation and vacations.  Amenities include: three suite types (deluxe studio, one-bedroom and two-bedroom/2 bath) with fully equipped kitchens, highly functional work areas, two-line speaker phone with voicemail and direct dial access and free high-speed internet access. Staybridge Suites offers free "Wireless Anywhere", complimentary daily deluxe breakfast buffet and evening Sundowner reception three days a week, and 24-hour business services featuring complimentary PC work stations and free Internet access. Staybridge Suites was recently named best in customer satisfaction during the first quarter of 2008. Based on 35,000 customer interviews in a Market Metrix Hospitality Index (MMHI) quarterly survey, guests named Staybridge Suites the leader in customer satisfaction within the upscale hotel segment. Staybridge Suites' score surpassed thirteen other hotel brands in this category. http://www.staybridge.com/

About Jamie Purviance

Jamie Purviance graduated from Stanford University and the Culinary Institute of America (with high honors) before launching his career as a food writer for magazines and newspapers such as Bon Appétit, Better Homes & Gardens, Coastal Living, Fine Cooking, Town & Country Travel, and the Los Angeles Times. He is the author of several best-selling cookbooks, including Weber's Big Book of Grilling, Weber's Real GrillingTM, and Weber's Charcoal Grilling. He is also the co-author of Weber's Big Book of Grilling. By popular demand Purviance teaches at more than a dozen cooking schools across America. Certified by the Kansas City Barbecue Society, he serves as a judge for major competitions, for example, the Jack Daniel's World Championship Invitational and the Memphis in May Barbecue Cooking Contest. He has also appeared on several national television shows, including Today, The Early Show, Good Morning America, Fox & Friends, and The Oprah Winfrey Show-as well as PBS, CNN, the History Channel, and the Food Network.

Notes to Editors:

InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) [LON:IHG, NYSE:IHG (ADRs)] is one of the world’s largest hotel groups by number of rooms. IHG owns, manages, leases or franchises, through various subsidiaries, almost 4,000 hotels and more than 590,000 guest rooms in nearly 100 countries and territories around the world. The Group owns a portfolio of well recognised and respected hotel brands including InterContinental® Hotels & Resorts, Crowne Plaza® Hotels & Resorts, Holiday Inn® Hotels and Resorts, Holiday Inn Express®, Staybridge Suites®, Candlewood Suites® and Hotel Indigo®, and also manages the world’s largest hotel loyalty programme, Priority Club® Rewards with over 37 million members worldwide.

IHG pioneered the travel industry’s first collaborative response to environmental issues as founder of the International Hotels and Environment Initiative (IHEI). The environment and local communities remain at the heart of IHG’s global corporate responsibility focus. IHG is the first major hotel group to have measured the environmental and carbon footprints of hotels that operate under our brands globally and is in the process of setting reduction targets.

With more than 1,600 hotels in its development pipeline, IHG needs to recruit around 150,000 people over the next few years to meet its global expansion plans.

InterContinental Hotels Group PLC is the Group’s holding company and is incorporated in Great Britain and registered in England and Wales.

IHG offers information and online reservations for all its hotel brands at www.ihg.com and information for the Priority Club Rewards programme at www.priorityclub.com. For the latest news from IHG, visit our online Press Office at www.ihg.com/media

Ends